David Simpson made two collect calls from a pay phone in Windsor, Ont., to his home in St. Thomas, Ont. (a distance of 180 kilometres).

He thought the fees were high and complained to Bell Canada. But he was given a toll-free number for WiMacTel, a California-based company that handled operator-assisted calls at Bell’s pay phones.

“I was told my six-minute call was indeed $14.61 and my four-minute call was $12.37, when all the fees and charges were added,” he said. “I was not allowed to speak to a manager about my concerns.”

Simpson was so upset that he launched a campaign to improve the disclosure of long-distance rates at Bell pay phones. His emails to federal politicians helped raise awareness of the issue.

Long-distance calls are not regulated (whether from pay phones, wireless or home phones). The long-distance market is seen as competitive and suppliers can charge whatever they like.

“Normally, this isn’t a problem, as customers can shop around for a long-distance plan or bundle, much as they would shop for any other good or service,” says George Hariton, an Ottawa lawyer.

“However, it is unreasonable to expect someone at a pay phone to start shopping around, given the few calls they intend to make.”

In a decision on June 5, Canada’s telecom regulator said it would examine whether there were enough safeguards for consumers making non-cash calls from pay phones.

The CRTC also ordered Bell to change the terms of its outsourcing contract with WiMacTel, so that:

Operators identified themselves as working for WiMacTel.

Operators provided rates for a customer’s long-distance call if asked to do so.

Operators told dissatisfied customers how to escalate their complaints to a higher level.

The CRTC made national headlines on July 16 when it denied Bell’s request to charge $1 for cash calls at pay phones and $2 for credit card calls (up from 50 cents and $1). However, that decision applied only to local calls.

Ideally, pay phones should have a written notice, showing the charges that might be incurred. But given the wide variety of long-distance rates, it’s not clear what form such a notice would take.

You pay Bell’s rates when making pay phone calls using coins, Bell prepaid cards or Bell calling cards, said spokesman Jason Laszlo. Only when using a credit card is your call processed by WiMacTel and billed at a different rate.

“Those who choose to make pay phone calls with a credit card can always hear the rates through WiMacTel’s automated system or a live operator,” Laszlo continued.

“We’re in the process of making this clearer for customers through changes to both the automated system and the messages that appear on our newer model pay phones.”

Simpson called Bell after WiMacTel brushed him off and won a 50 per cent discount on the two calls. But he wanted a full refund and filed a complaint with the CRTC.

“Only then did WiMacTel start talking to me. They did refund my money, but it took a lot of work,” he said.

Carol Collins also had a bill shock when making a long-distance call to Toronto from a hospital pay phone in Kingston, Ont. (a distance of 240 kilometres).

“I was surprised to discover I was charged $11.49 for a call that lasted less than one minute,” she says, adding that she got the money back after complaining to WiMacTel’s chief executive.

Jim Tushingham was driving to Toronto when he used a pay phone at a service centre in Kitchener, Ont., to warn of his late arrival. Lacking change, he popped in his credit card.

“Imagine my shock when I found a charge for $11.49 on my credit card statement for a two-minute call,” he said.

“The fellow I spoke to at WiMacTel explained that if I’d had enough coin to pay for my long-distance call, Bell would have handled the transaction and the charges would have been more reasonable.”

My advice: Never use credit cards for long-distance calls at pay phones without asking about the cost. And if you hate the rate, try to find cash for the call so you can bypass the operator.

You can also get bill shock when you make long-distance calls from a hotel room. Laszlo advises asking about rates first, since the hotel may redirect calls to a third-party carrier that has higher rates than Bell.

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